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Clearing off the surfaces and the floor was the cure for this cook space. Cutting boards and the most frequently used cookware and appliances stayed put, but the rest of the counter was preserved for prepping. We even extended the work area on the 24-by-36-inch island by securing a larger butcher block (about $200 at Lumber Liquidators) on top with brackets.

BEFORE Kitchen tools, rogue food, and knickknacks crowded the counters and the tops of the cabinets.

TO BUY Clockwise from left: Traditional Classics weathered-nickel cabinet knobs, $4.30 each, homedepot.com. Cuisinart metal classic four-slice toaster, $55; Denmark 10-piece ceramic nonstick aluminum cookware set, $100: bedbathandbeyond.com. Wallies removable chalk panels, $20 for four; classic bistro chalk markers, $14 for four: papersource.com. Stenstorp kitchen cart, $199, ikea.com/us. Real Simple Round dinnerware in white, $25 for a four-piece place setting, bedbathandbeyond.com. Large bronze York open-stack baskets, $25 each; utility hooks (on underside of butcher block), $3 for four: containerstore.com. Aster striped dish towels, $6 each, crateandbarrel. com. Edge-y cutting board in charcoal, $118; Dipper ceramic dog bowls, $22 (medium): waggo.com.

To help the family keep track of its large pieces of luggage, camping equipment, pet supplies, and home-improvement tools, RS first got it all off the floor, then sorted and stored it in categorized sections. Tools were mounted, suitcases stashed on top shelves, and the rest neatly arranged in large, clear bins below.

BEFORE Items stored on a shelving unit had little rhyme or reason.

TO BUY Clockwise: Iris plastic storage boxes, $22 each, organizeit.com. Grook utility holder, $15 (small), containerstore.com. Indoor-outdoor striped polypropylene rug, $53 (3 feet, 7 inches by 5 feet, 6 inches), overstock.com. Gray PVC multipurpose raised-coin garage flooring, $40 for six tiles; and flooring trim kit, $30 for 18 edges: craftsman.com.

Precuring, keep a few cotton swabs dipped in acetone remover nearby to clean up smudges.

Written by Didi Gluck Photographs by Barbara Donninelli

When applying bronzer, start where the cheekbone and ear meet and work forward.

It doesn’t matter which way you twist the flatiron when “curling.” Aim for ripples, not ringlets.

Let us count the ways this manicure advancement has simplified life: longlasting color (10 days to two weeks), instantly dry tips, and loads of shine. Doing an at-home gel manicure is just like doing a regular one—except you’re curing the color onto your nails with an LED light. That LED is an investment. You’ll need to buy a gel-mani starter kit, like the Red Carpet Manicure Starter Kit ($75, redcarpetmanicure. com). But stay with us here: It’s a onetime purchase, after which you can simply replenish the polishes.

STEP 1: Prep your nails: Remove old polish, file tips, push back cuticles, and trim hanging skin with a nipper. STEP 2: On each nail, paint on a layer of the gel base coat that comes with the kit. STEP 3: Place four fingers of one hand (index to pinkie) under the lamp for about two minutes (times vary by lamp); repeat with the thumb for the same amount of time. (If you cram in all five digits of one hand, the LED may not reach each nail, says Kiyo Okada, the New York City manicurist who worked on this story.) STEP 4: Repeat with two layers of the gel color and one of the clear gel topcoat that comes with the kit, curing nails for the time instructed between each coat of polish.

HAIR BY PAUL WARREN USING RENE FURTERER FOR ART DEPARTMENT; MAKEUP BY GREGG BROCKINGTON USING MAC COSMETICS FOR JUDY CASEY; MANICURE BY KIYO OKADA FOR YVES DURIF SALON.

A plethora of more naturallooking powders plus updated application techniques have given this cheek-defining technique a much needed face-lift.

STEP 1: Start with foundation and powder as usual. (Or skip it if there’s nothing usual about foundation and powder for you.) STEP 2: Sweep matte bronzer a shade or two deeper than your skin tone (or foundation) from your temples to your cheekbones to your jawbones, as if drawing the number 3, says Gregg Brockington, the New York City makeup artist who did the makeup on these pages. STEP 3: Blend pink blush just on the apples of your cheeks for contrast. Try the Giordano Beauty Tan Lines Bronzing Compact ($24, giordanobeauty.com) and Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in Pink Explosion ($45, chanel.com).

Step away from the curling iron. You read that right. As the name implies, “a curling iron makes curls, not waves,” says Paul Warren, the New York City hairstylist who created the modern-classic look above. The necessary tool, in this case, is a flatiron.

STEP 1: Clamp the flatiron at the roots of a twoinch-wide section or hair. (The skinnier the plates, the more pronounced the wave will be.) STEP 2: Twist your wrist while holding the tool so that a small bend forms in your hair. STEP 3: Unclamp and reclamp the iron an inch down from the bend, and twist your wrist again to form another one. Keep moving down the section of hair this way, stopping just short of the ends (so they don’t flip up). Continue around your whole head. STEP 4: Instead of holding with hair spray, mist on a texturizing spray, says Warren. It will create a matte finish, like your hair gets when you’ve been in salt water. We like Kérastase Spray A Porter ($36, kerastase-usa.com).

MORE LOOKS YOU’LL LOVE Go to realsimple.com/cultclassics for 18 beauty products sure to shake up your hair and makeup routines.

All the makeup in the world will take you only so far. For dramatic length, you need to enlist fake lashes. For ease and speed, Brockington suggests using strip lashes rather than individual pieces. Consider B The Eyebrow Experts Classic Strip Lashes ($20, saksfifthavenue.com).

STEP 1: Cut the lash into three pieces. Working in small sections is more manageable than trying to adhere a whole strip. STEP 2: Using a flat-tipped makeup brush, paint a thin layer of lash glue onto the base of each lash section, as well as onto your lid (where you would normally place eyeliner). Allow to dry for 60 seconds. STEP 3: Working from the inner corner of the eye out, place each section on the lid. STEP 4: Use a tweezer or even the rounded edge of a clean emory board to gently push the base of each section of the strip firmly into the glue for lasting adhesion. STEP 5: Wait a minute until the glue is completely clear and dry before sweeping mascara onto your lashes plus the fakes, which helps the two bind together.

With a touch—literally—of shimmer, anyone can create the illusion of bigger lips.

STEP 1: Using a lip pencil that matches the natural color of your lips, draw slightly (slightly) outside the perimeter of your lip line and fill in, says Brockington. STEP 2: Follow with a matching lipstick. STEP 3: Next, dab a nude lip pencil with shimmer onto your pointer finger, then pat the color onto the center of your lower lip. This will create a light-reflecting surface that makes lips appear larger. Try Kevyn Aucoin nude lipsticks and pencils (kevynaucoin.com) and NYX Jumbo Lip Pencil in Bronze ($4.50, nyxcosmetics.com).

To remove falsies, gently clean eyes with makeup remover, then carefully peel off the lashes with tweezers and store them. They’re reusable.

Start by outlining the bow (a.k.a. the V), making sure each side mirrors the other.

FEBRUARY 2009

We asked, and thousands of you answered. Here are the dishes most bookmarked, dog-eared, clipped, shared, and enjoyed—from once-a-week slow-cooker chicken to special-occasion chocolate cake. Simply put, they’re keepers.

JUNE/JULY 2003